Infrastructure issues are holding the US back

You don't have to drive across the United States and see the crumbling Interstates and bridges to realize that US infrastructure is deteriorating faster than it is being repaired. All you have to do it live in many big cities, not just rural areas, and suffer the inevitable blackout from time to time - an unheard of occurrence in most other developed countries. Airports are in a state of constant rebuilding, and the rail system,which still carries a large share of freight, it in near collapse. Cell-phone service is poor, and even broadband networks are slower than in other nations.

In the 1950s and 1960s the USA was ahead and the lead was growing. The Interstate road system, the phone system, the utilities and other services were the envy of the world. To remain more competitive, this needs a major program to re-create the US lead.